HYDERABAD, Aug 1: Hyderabad District Nazim Dr Makhdoom Rafiquzzaman has told the Sindh governor due to lethargy of the irrigation officials, huge losses were caused by the breach in the Rohri Canal.

The Nazim was talking to the governor during his visit of the site of the breach near Bhit Shah on Monday.

He said that he had information that Rohri Canal would not withstand water pressure and had communicated the information to the irrigation authorities in advance.

He deplored that the irrigation officials failed to undertake any precautionary measure though he had held meetings with them ahead of the monsoon season.

He recalled having told the irrigation authorities that the Rohri Canal was a small river and the irrigation officials should be highly prepared for any eventuality in case of a breach or flood.

Rejecting reports that the breach was an act of subversion, he said that even after the breach, the irrigation officials were least concerned about the direction of water.

He said that lack of coordination among the different government departments delayed the evacuation and relief work in the affected area because different departments were not ready to offer any kind of help.

He said that the forest department had refused to provide wood for the plugging of the breach and only when he intervened, it provided wood.

He said that he had to seek bulldozer from Latifabad taluka council.

He told the governor that initially there was a dispute over jurisdiction in the irrigation department after the canal was breached.

Makhdoom opposed the suspension of the irrigation officials on the ground that it would affect the on-going work.

He said that the irrigation officials kept him and the DCO in the dark while they were in Karachi in connection with a meeting. He said that they were informed that there was nothing serious about the Rohri Canal and everything would be controlled.

He asserted that entire contingent plan proved to be an exercise in futility and added that there was simply no coordination between different departments like forests, irrigation, agriculture etc.

He said that monetary grant would be distributed by the district government under supervision of a committee. He added that a relief package for compensating the affected people would be prepared by the district government after detailed assessment of the losses.

He said that the Agriculture Development Bank of Pakistan should give sufficient time to the growers for its recovery of the loans.